Line clamp and mounting tool therefor



March 31, 1953 s. P. BECKER ETAL 2,633,043

LINE CLAMP AND MOUNTING TOOL THEREFOR Filed Nov. 5, 1949 Mm HIDULQIZWLKML HTTORNEKS' Patented Mar. 31, 1953 Y LINE CLAM AND'MOUNTINGTOOL THEREFOR Stephen P. Becker, Raymond B. Schoonmaker,

and Henry R. Wengen, Poughkeepsie, N. Y., assignors to Fargo Mfg,Company, Inc., Poughkeepsie, N. Y., a corporation oi New YorkApplication November 3, 1949, Serial No. 125,246 (01. 81-53) 3 Claims.

This inventionrelates to clamps and connectors and more particularly toclamps. and con-i nectors for securing wires and cables under difil-vcult operating. conditions. It is an object of this invention toprovidea clamp which may be applied to and attached on an electricalline or high tension wire with one handby a single linesman,

It is a further object'of this invention to provide' a clamp which willreceive tools that make possible the connection between and clampingtogether of electricallines easy and requiring a minimum ofmanipulation.

' It is a. still further object of this invention to provide a clampadapted to receive tools for single-handed operation of the clamp andwhich is also capable of operationin a customary manner.

These and other objects of this invention will become more apparent uponconsideration of the Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the connector andtool of Fig. 5;

Fig. '7 is an end view of the tool and connector of Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of a spacer bar connector of this inventionwith a wrench partly in section. V

In general this invention provides clamps and connectors for use injoining together wires and cables such as are used in telephonecommunication, on aerial cables, and on high voltage electrical lineswhere it is important that connectors be applicable to the lines thatare connected with a minimum of manipulation and holding of the parts byhand.

In Fig. 1 a vise type connector It! is shown securing an aerial cable Il to a messenger cable l2 by means of a lashing wire I3. The lashingwire 13, which is wrapped around both the aerial cable H and themessenger cable I2, is clamped in place by the connector ID. The visetype'cona nector I0 is composed of a female element l4 ing'jaws l6which'gripand clamp'the messenger 2 i cable l2 and the lashing wire 13.A'bolt ll rests against the element l4 and when turned moves the maleelement 15 in and out of the female elementM to open and close the jaws16. At

. the top of the elementl l a lug l8 protrudes above a flat surface I9.This lug I8 is shaped so that it has a broad head with a relativelynarrow neck portion. Thus positioned on the female element [4, the lugI8 is adapted to be. engaged by a suitable slot or recess on a toolwhich also has means to engage and turn the bolt ll.

One form of such a toolis shownin Fig. 3 in which a wrench 26 having ahandle 2| and a slide 22 engages the lug If) by means of a keyhole slot23. The. handle .21 has a shaft 24 which carries the slide 22. At theend of the shaft 24a socket 25 is provided and adapted to receive thehead of the bolt ll. The shaft 24 is fixed inthe handle 2| and isrotatable with relation to the slide 22. Thus, as shown in Fig. 4, withtiming l8 engaged in the slot 23 the shaft 24 and socket 25 may turnwhile in engagement with the bolt.

ll to operate the bolt while the female element I4 is held stationarywith relation thereto by the lug l8 in the slot 23 of the slide 22. Therotating bolt ll draws the male element [5 into the stationary femaleelement (4 to close the jaws It and bring about the desired clampingaction. As a convenience for obtaining engagement and disengagement ofthe parts, the slide 22 is mounted on the shaft 24 under the force of anexpansion spring 26 which holds it normally in engagement with thehandle 21. To engage and disengage the lug H3 in the keyhole slot 23,the slide 22 is urged forward on the shaft 24 tobring the head of thelug It in line with the enlarged section of the keyhole slot 23 and inthis position the con-- nector- I0 may be engaged or disengaged by theslide 22.

A connection with a connector of this invention may be a one-handedoperation as demonstrated by the connector Ill. In operating connectorill with a suitable tool such as wrench .29, the connector is insertedin the wrench 29 by urging theslide 22 forward, inserting the lug l8through the enlarged section of keyhole slot 23 and the bolt head in thesocket 251. When released, the spring 26 drives the slide 22 backagainst the handle 2| and moves the lug [3 into the narrow section ofthe slot 23. Thus held, the connector H! can be tightened and loosenedby holding the slide 22 stationary with the thumb and forefinger of onehand and rotating the handle 2! and shaft 24 with the remaining fingersand palm of the;

samehand.

In Fig. 5 another form" "of this invention is shown. Inthis modificationa pressure bar type connector 21 is shown held in a tool 28. Theconnector 2'! has two jaws 29 and 30 between which a spacer bar 3| isplaced. The jaw 29 is fixed on the base 32 of the connector 21 while thejaw 33 is movably carried in the base 32 on a bolt 33 while the spacerbar 3| slides along the base 32 between the jaws 29 and 30. Thus,

wires or cables 35 may be clamped between the jaws 29 and 30 and thespacer bar 3|. Grooves 35 are provided on each side of the base 32 forreceiving flexible fingers 36 of a clamp carried on a leaf spring 31.The leaf spring 3'! is in turn anchored at one end on a strip 38 by arivet 39. The other end of the leaf spring is. formed into a tongue 40which, protruding through a slot M, has a head 42 formed at its end soas to prevent the tongue 3|] from being-withdrawn from the slot 4!. Arotatable socket 43 engages the head of the bolt 33 and isaattached withthe strip 38 in a manner not shown to form the combined tool 28.

The leaf spring 31 carries the connector 21 on the strip 38 with aresilience and freedom of motion. that permits the connector to movewith respect to the socket 43 and still be held secure and stationary.When the connector is applied to wires or cables; the'base 32 is held bythe flexible fingers-36 whilethe socket 33 is rotated to close the jaws29 and 3-0 and the spacer bar 3i together until the clamp is tight.Similarly to the described operation of the connector It), the connector21 in the tool 28 can be manipulated by hand to open and close. The tool28 is easily removed from the connector 2'! with the socket 33 comingaway from the head of the bolt 33 while the fingers 36 slide in thegrooves 35.

In Fig. 8- another form of this invention is shown by a spacer-barconnector and a prong and socket wrench. The connector 44 has a bod 45with an integral jaw 45 and a movable j-awii sliding in a channel in thebody member 45. Between the jaws 46 and 4'! a spacer bar 48 slides onoutstanding flanges 43 running lengthwise on the body member. A bolt 50passing through the integral jaw 43 is screw-threaded into the slidingjaw 41 to draw the jaw 41 on rotation of the bolt 56 toward the integraljaw 45 clamping the spacer bar 48 therebetween. Thus wires or cables imay be clamped between the jaws 46 and 4'! and the spacer bar- 48. Thebolt 50 has a head 52 with an annulargroove 53 around its inside edge.

A wrench 54 in which a socket 55 is carried ona shaft 56 is alsoprovided with a set of flexible prongs 51. The socket 55 receives thehead 520i the bolt 50, while the prongs 5? are extended beyond thesocket55 and are flanged inwardly to project inside the head 52 and engage theannular groove 53. Sliding collar 58 mounted on the shaft 56 encompassesthe flexible prongs 51. When the wrench 54 is in release position thecollar 58 is drawn back toward the handle of the tool 54 and the prongs5! spring to a release or open position. When the socket 54 engagesthehead 52of'the bolt 50 the collar 58 may be moved forward away from.the handle to cam the-pron s 5.! inwardly ar und t e 52 and intoengagement. with, the annular groove 53. In the closedposition thewrench 54 is irremjovably secured to and on the connector 43.

Telephone linesand hi h tension wires are often supported on high postsand towers. In such a.

location working on the cables and wires is, inconvenient. difflcult anddangerous. The l n s- 4 men are greatly assisted by a device which freesa hand or a device which reduces the amount of work that must be done byhand. Among other advantages the linesman, when applying a connector ofthis invention making a connection, is relieved in the degree of handmanipulation required. Also the connector of this invention may be moresatisfactorily and completely tightened.

vAt the same time the connector of this invention can beopened andclosed in a customary manner by hand or by a wrench without resort to atool adapted to permit one-handed operation. Also'the connector has arugged structure and is simple to manufacture.

In thedescription of the connector of this invention specificembodiments of the invention have been used forthe purposes ofillustration. These specific embodiments will suggest variousadaptations of connectors and clamps to accomplish one-handed openingand closing according to this invention. Thus modifications may be madewithout departing from the intended scope of the invention as disclosedherein, and for that reason it is not intended that it should be limitedother than by the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In combination a connector adapted to be fastened on a line andhaving relative moving parts actuated by a. threaded screw and a devicefor positioning said connector on lines, comprising an elongatedsupport, a socket in the transverse surface of an end of said support, aslidable member on said support, a collar supported on said slidablemember, spring prongs mounted on said support lying between said supportand said slidable collar and normally biased outward from the center ofsaid support, said spring prongs cooperating with said connector; andtransversely extending flanges at the ends of said spring prongsoverlapping said transverse surface whereby a longitudinal motion ofsaid collar flexes said spring prongs transversely with relation to saidsupport and moves said flanges in and out over said socket.

2. In combination a connector adapted to be fastened one line and havingrelative moving parts actuated by a threaded screw and a device forpositioning said connector on electrical lines, comprising a handle, ashaft mounted on the end of said handle,'a head mounted on said shaft, areduced diameter section of said shaft adjacent said head, a socket inthe transverse surface of the end of said head, a collar sliding on saidreduced diameter section, a portion of said collar extending axially ofsaid shaft to encompass said head, spring prongs mounted on the outersurface of said head lying between said head and said sliding collar andnormally biased outward from the center of said head, said spring prongsand said head cooperating with said connector; and transverselyextending flanges at the ends of said prongs overlapping said transversesurface whereby an axial motion of said collar flexes saidprongstransversely with relation to said head and moves said flanges inand out over said slidable member, movable prongs mounted:

on said support lying between said support and said slidable collar andnormally extending radial- 1y outward from thecenter of said support,said prongs cooperating with said connector; and transversely extendingflanges at the ends of said movable prongs overlapping said transversesurface whereby a longitudinal motion of said collar moves said prongstransversely with relation to said support and moves said flanges in andout over said socket.

STEPHEN P. BECKER. RAYMOND B. SCHOONMAKER. HENRY R. WENGEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

